Hi everyone, I’m Eloise, a recent graduate from the University of Exeter! I just completed my three-year Flexible Combined Honours course studying Film and Television Studies and Geography. I was based on the Streatham Campus, but I am originally from Sussex.
With the start of term coming around quickly, I thought it would be a good chance to talk about managing your time at university. Now, usually blogs like this might get to talking about how to study effectively or how to prioritise, and whilst I may touch on those things in this blog, I would like to talk about how you can have a great time at university but still take a moment for yourself.
When you start university, Welcome Week (or Freshers’ Week as it is more commonly known as) can feel quite an overwhelming period, not least because for many it is the first time moving away from home. It comes with significant change – it’s really common to miss friends from home, your family, or your daily habits from your hometown. But this is also an exciting time. A time to forge new friendships, try new things that you may not have had the opportunity to do before or even heard of before. Whatever the feeling is going into university, often it can circle back to one buzzword – overwhelming.
With 52 sports clubs and over 300 societies across Exeter’s campuses, it can seem difficult to know where to start, or you may want to get stuck into everything and find it hard to balance all the new and wonderful things you’re getting up to.
In this blog, I’d like to introduce some of the amazing things you can expect from your time at the University of Exeter. This will be relevant whether you’re a newcomer to the university or a returning student. I’ll also discuss the importance of time management and offer tips and tricks throughout the blog.
The key takeaway from this will be to make the most of every moment whilst in Exeter but to also know your limits and ensure you take time for yourself!
Welcome Week
Sandwiched between students moving to (or back to) university and the beginning of the academic year in late September, Welcome Week provides the chance for new students in particular to get to know the campus, student life, and the surrounding area a bit better. You can expect a lot of vibrancy on campus – on Streatham Campus, Forum Hill and Forum Street are often decked out in decorations, walls plastered with posters, and banners draping across the balconies.
All those sports and societies I mentioned? They will each have their own stand during the Freshers’ Fair which goes on at the Exeter campuses throughout the week (find out what’s on each day here). This will be an opportunity for you to go up to each representative of the society and learn more about what they get up to – and you’ll undoubtedly be able to grab a freebie, maybe even a tote bag worth of freebies if you’re lucky!
There will be a dedicated academic fair one day which will give you the chance to speak to, for example, the English Society about what socials they put on, what guest speakers they welcome etc. Don’t worry – academic societies don’t mean more work! They are a way for your cohort to meet up, get to know each other better, and hang out outside of an academic context. Think pub crawls, pizza nights, and bowling! It is, however, more likely that there will be some form of professional or career focused angle within these societies, such as industry experts or alumni coming to speak to current students about their career path or any opportunities that are available within that field. For example, the Geography Society (Geogsoc) that I have been a part of for the last three years has hosted events where expeditioners speak about their travels. Geogsoc have also welcomed Exeter City Council onto campus to talk about waste management as part of a Recycling Panel.
Even lecturers sometimes give society talks about their research further in a more relaxed, informal setting, or discuss possible career opportunities via society events – many of the Geography professors also work for the Met Office (based down the road in Exeter) for example, so they have given talks about job roles and career paths there. Volunteer work relevant to your course may also be advertised via your subject’s academic society.
Back to Welcome Week, there will also be a day dedicated to Sport. Students can sign up to as many of the sports clubs they would like to and think they can manage. The University of Exeter is quite a sporty uni, currently 4th in the UK in the British University College Sport (BUCS) competitions and in the top spot for the South and Wales; but this does not mean that you have to engage in any sport if you do not want to! You can take the sports here at any level and we cater for all abilities – from complete beginner to professional development programmes. You can play sport socially with your friends or even as part of societies. For example, the History society might go against the Geography society in a 5-a-side football match! X-Media (the University’s media society that encompasses the newspaper, radio station, photography society and the magazine) has its own netball team too!
The Students’ Guild (our student union) looks after all the hundreds of societies whilst the Athletic Union houses the sports. The sports department sometimes offers Pitch Up and Play sessions, which are sport sessions with all equipment provided totally free of charge. I’ve played badminton once a week for an hour during the summer term completely for free! Another time I got the opportunity to have a free kayak session down at the Quay on a hot summer’s day for hours – all for free! This kayaking session was part of the Guild’s initiative called Give it a Go sessions, which are free or cheap events to attend. The Guild has taken keen students on day trips to Dartmoor, the Eden Project and the local Donkey Sanctuary, just to name a few!
I think a key selling point (ironically) is that during Welcome Week, everything is pretty much free or significantly subsidised. This allows new and returning students to try their hand at new things without the fear of committing to a membership.
Pro Tip: If you are the slightest bit intrigued by a society or sport, why not try it out? You’ve got nothing to lose!
Finally, there will also be the chance to meet the committees and representatives of all the other societies too – whether that be creative, theatrical, musical, you name it!
The early days
Before you sign up to any memberships, book onto some free trial sports or society events. Particularly during Welcome Week, there will be a lot of socials happening, which is where members of teams or clubs meet up for a club night or a sober get together. Pub golf can be a fun way to get to navigate the city, and themed nights are always great icebreakers – what better way can there be to make new friends than by being dressed up as something that starts with the first letter of your name (I always dressed like an elf)!
Pro tip: get to know your flatmates well!
Your flat will be with you for your first year and can be a great sounding board and solid foundation for you. Of course, there is no expectation to be best friends immediately – something social media is guilty of portraying – but if you are happy to start a conversation when your morning cuppa is brewing or when you are trying to work out how the electric hob works, then who knows, it could be the start of a blossoming friendship! As a finalist and now veteran of university life, lots of people ask me ‘what would be good to include in our flat that I wouldn’t have thought about?’, to which I reply, ‘a projector’! This is something you can think about once you have got to know your flatmates a bit better – that way you can also split the cost of buying one (which came to about £5 each for my flat) – but it is such a great way to bring everyone in the flat to the social area and spend some time together.
Even after Welcome Week is over, try organising events within your flat for yourselves! Film night was very popular in my first year flat! In my third year, me and my flatmates loved cooking pizza together or organising cinema trips!
In first year, the dedicated Residence Life team often puts on free events each term for you to get to know other people in your building, so these are worth attending.
When to slow down
I’ve only mentioned a tiny amount of all the amazing things that happen throughout the year – it is very hard to be bored in Exeter, there is always something going on or someone to hang out with! But sometimes, knowing your own limit is key.
Pro tip: Learn when to say no.
I suffer from FOMO big time, so I find it incredibly hard to decline a pub garden trip or just one more episode of a TV show marathon. Sometimes though, this has led to burnout, particularly in exam season when I have tried to go clubbing all night long then hibernate in the library the next day – never works if you’re as sleepy as I am!
Maybe exchanging a big night out for a chill night in might be a good compromise, or just having dedicated time for yourself could be the way to go. It is important not to feel pressured into things if you don’t feel comfortable or are just not up for it – there’s so much to get stuck into at university so you will definitely be able to find activities you enjoy and people that share the same interests as you! Not everything at university is about drinking – there are plenty of options for sober socialising too, such as meeting the therapy dogs in Devonshire House, going to painting classes or even attending a Sober Social hosted by a sports team. In Snowsports, we carved pumpkins at a local coffee shop which was organised by the Welfare Secretary.
Taking time for yourself
So, what does that look like? Well, this could be as simple as reading the book that has been on your ‘to be read’ list for ages. It could be doing some exercise to keep your body and mind healthy – a personal favourite of mine is yoga at the minute.
Just some simple exercises could go a long way. There are multiple nature reserves (including our own Streatham Campus) as well as footpaths and bridleways all the way around the city and down alongside the estuary, so exploring the local area could be a way to destress and unwind.
Establishing a good routine in the first instance helps to allocate time for yourself. Planning can give you a clear, sometimes visual picture, of your day and how you can spend it. If you need to give yourself some extra rest or a break for that social battery to recharge, add that to your schedule so that you know that each day you have set aside a moment for you to do what you want to do and provide yourself some time to decompress.
Sometimes amongst all the chaos and craziness of Welcome Week and university in general, we forget to slow down and take it all in. Doing some of these activities and timetabling it into your diary can help avoid that feeling of being overwhelmed. Good time management, organisation, and planning also aids revision and working on coursework – I said I’d bring it up!
Support services
If academia or social life does all get a bit too much, there are several support services you can turn to…
Departmental Pastoral Mentors – a new addition to every department for Autumn 2025, they provide an additional layer of support for all undergraduate and taught Masters students. They provide a friendly, supportive and approachable bridge between students, Personal Tutors, and the various support services across the University.
Exeter Student Nightline – trained student volunteers will be on the phone 8pm-8am workdays during term time if you need anyone to talk to during the night (you can find their number on the back of your student card).
Wellbeing – for any mental health support, have a look at the online website services or give them a visit in person at Reed Mews or their new facility next to Mardon Hall.
Residence Life team – if there are any issues within your flat, this team can help you out. They tend to pop by each flat 1-2 times a semester to check in.
Welfare secretary (sports and societies) – if anything is worrying you either within the club or outside of it, you can speak to a fellow student who can listen and signpost you to other services.
Friends and family – they are your support network, so anytime you feel overwhelmed, homesick, or stressed, it can be good to turn to those we trust.
The low-down
University is such an exciting point in your life! I have loved every single minute being here and whilst there were challenges along the way and of course moments of overwhelm, it has been the most amazing three years.
Make the most of Welcome Week and all the activities, events, and trials that are available to you. It is an opportunity to try new things and be brave but also to learn your limit and when to say no. Soak it all in and enjoy it – you’re only a Fresher once!